How to Assess Your Emotional Health as a Family Caregiver

How to Assess Your Emotional Health as a Family Caregiver

Caregiver in Gaithersburg MD

When you’re a family caregiver, you’re often your own first line of defense when it comes to your emotional health. Being able to assess when you’re possibly becoming too stressed is essential forCaregiver-in-Gaithersburg-MD getting help when you need it.

Are You Getting Plenty of Sleep?

Many people respond to stress by either not being able to sleep at all or by sleeping fitfully. For some family caregivers, a lack of quality sleep is one of their first indications that they need to step back and start looking for ways to manage their stress levels. If you’re experiencing unusual sleep habits, talk to your doctor first to rule out medial causes.

Are You Keeping up with Friends and Activities?

Maintaining your emotional health as a family caregiver also means that you’re keeping up with the people that you love as well as the hobbies and other activities that you enjoy. You may feel that you don’t have time to spend doing what you’ve always loved and to a certain extent, you may be right. But you can still make at least a little time to do what you love.

Are You Frequently Losing Your Temper?

As your stress levels rise, you’re likely to experience a much shorter fuse on your temper than you’re used to. This can often mean that you’re neglecting your own emotional health or that you’re not meeting other needs. Left unchecked, this can turn into resentment toward caregiving in general.

Are You Keeping up with Household Tasks?

When you’re feeling stressed and emotionally unwell, you’re less likely to be interested in keeping up with household tasks. Chores may start to pile up, such as laundry and vacuuming. You may be handling these types of activities for other people, such as your elderly loved one, but you’re simultaneously less likely to do them for yourself.

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

When you’re having trouble sorting out your emotions and getting a grip on your emotional health, you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed, even by simple things. That overwhelm can build up until you actually start to feel paralyzed and not know what to do next.

As you gain more experience, you’ll be able to spot issues much more quickly, which allows you to get help when you need it.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional caregiver services in Gaithersburg, MD, contact the friendly staff at Prestige Healthcare Resources. Ask about our free In-Home Care Assessment: 240-547-0234.

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Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Prestige Healthcare Resources, Inc.
PHRI co-founder, and Director of Operations, John S. Smith, Jr., received his calling to become a nurse in 2001 when he was involved in a job related accident which led to him having emergency surgery. He was fortunate to been taken care of by the wonderful medical and nursing staff that showed they truly cared about him and his full recovery. “After recovery, I was determined to give back and made a vowed to become a nurse and provide the same high quality healthcare I received when I was a patient,” Smith says. He became a registered nurse in 2006 and has worked at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Mr. Smith has extensive experience in caring for to cardiac, psychiatric, hospice, Stroke and surgical population. After working in many different areas of nursing, he realized his true passion was in community nursing, where he could have the greatest impact on his surroundings.